While Tesla may call its autonomous driving function autopilot, yet another collision has occurred that proves relying solely on the system will likely end in disaster.
Over the weekend, a Tesla driver in North Carolina ended up smashing his Model S into a pair of police cruisers parked on the side of the freeway while watching a movie in the EV.
According to a local report, police were responding to an earlier incident, and had parked their two cars on the shoulder of the road. Miraculously, no one was hurt when the EV smashed into the two cars.
Unsurprisingly, both the Model S and the Sherrif's Dodge Charger were written off in the high-speed collision. The third police vehicle involved was able to drive away with minor damage.
After the incident, the driver was charged with watching a movie on his phone while driving, and violating North Carolina's 'move over' law, which states that drivers must slow down and move over for stopped vehicles.
Over the last year or so, we've seen numerous stories emerge showing how drivers are putting complete faith in this system, when in reality, it's only there as a driving aid.
Just recently, a German court ordered that the American company must stop using the term "autopilot" as it is misleading. It isn't clear as to whether other countries are going to also ban the term, but it is a very real issue.